Page 138 of Risky Passion

I offered her a piece of my toast, and when she wolfed it down, I gave her my other one and stepped over to make myself two more.

Carrying my coffee mug and plate of toast, I made my way down the hallway.

I stepped into the gymnasium, and as the hum of voices greeted me, the room seemed alive with activity. Sunlight streamed through the high windows, casting warm streaks across the floor. Boxes were stacked on tables along one wall, and everyone was spread out, each person staking their claim along a row of tables in the middle. Papers, photos, notepads, pens, tablets, and Post-it Notes were also scattered about.

“Morning all,” I called out, heading toward Parker and Whitney, who sat side by side with their heads bent as they combed through astack of files. Opposite them were Aria, Ryder, a woman I didn’t recognize, and Whisper and Cody.

“Oh,hello,” Whisper drawled, looking up with a wide, mischievous grin. She jabbed an elbow into Cody’s ribs. “Doesn’t he look relaxed?”

Cody rolled his eyes, but a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Morning, buddy. You get enough rest?”

“I doubt it,” Whisper added with a giggle, earning a glare from Cody.

“Yes, Cody, thanks,” I replied dryly, refusing to take the bait. “Probably the best sleep I’ve had in years.”

I turned to Aria and Ryder, giving them each a nod. “Morning. What time did you get here?”

“I stayed,” Aria said, tightening her high ponytail. “Xander will be here after he’s fed the horses and goats.”

“And have you met my partner, Piper?” Ryder asked, resting his hand on the shoulder of the woman beside him.

I smiled at the striking redhead. “Not yet. Nice to meet you.”

“Piper is the one who found that shipping container in the ocean,” Whisper chimed in, leaning back in her chair.

“Well,” Piper said, holding up a hand and shaking her head, “I didn’t exactlyfindit, more like crashed into it.”

I nodded. “I remember now. Your yacht sank after hitting the container, right?”

“Yeah,” Piper said, her expression darkening slightly. “That container saved my life, and my daughter’s. Pity we couldn’t say the same about the victims inside it, though.”

The air shifted as a somber note settled over the group.

Someone had suggested yesterday that Beatrice was involved in those poor trafficking victims.

It was a grim reminder of what other tragedies we might find amongst these boxes.

“Well,” Aria said, clearing her throat, “we’re glad you’re here, Piper. And the rest of you. But we have a lot of work to do.”

“Right,” I said. “Where do I start?”

“Grab a box from over there.” Aria pointed toward the untouchedstack. “At the moment, we’re just going through all the boxes to see if we can find any information on Beatrice.”

“And Watts,” Whitney said.

“Watts?” I blinked at him.

“Oh right, you don’t know.” A cocky expression crossed his face. “You’ll want to sit down for this one.” He looked pleased with himself, and I assumed he was the one who made the connection to Watts. In his line of work, he didn’t get to be in the limelight often.

I took a box from the table, and after I sat down and removed a stack of papers from inside, Whitney filled me in on the name Watts showing up on what appeared to be a ledger of bribes. “His name appears nineteen times in that book.”

“And that was just one year,” Whisper said.

“Christ!” Shaking my head, I pulled out a stack of yellowing papers with curling edges. “So we’re just looking for those two names?”

“Yep,” Cobra said. “They are the most critical at the moment. But once we have them nailed, we’ll cycle back to the rest of the intel in here.”

The room fell into an intense, almost oppressive silence as we combed through the mountain of documents. Sipping my coffee and picking at my toast, I flipped page after page, and the monotony set in fast. Most of the paperwork was mundane: receipts for equipment, maintenance logs for the gardener, and donation records listing clothes and toys.

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